Real Recycling for Massachusetts Reaches 500 Members; Pushes for meaningful recycling reform, opposes costly and ineffective bottle bill expansion

BOSTON, March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Real Recycling for Massachusetts, an organization made up of businesses, individuals, trade organizations and unions who support increasing the state's recycling rate and oppose a bottle bill expansion, today announced their organization has grown to include 500 members following their initial launch last August.  The 500-member coalition supports finding impactful and cost-effective ways to increase the state's recycling rate, and holds that bottle bill expansion will be costly to consumers and merchants while having little environmental impact.  The coalition urges the Legislature to reject a costly and ineffective bottle bill expansion. 

"Expanding the bottle bill will cost grocers and consumers more money but it won't work to reduce litter or improve recycling," said Chris Flynn, president of the Massachusetts Food Association and member of Real Recycling for Massachusetts. "It is no wonder that when Massachusetts voters have the facts, almost 70 percent oppose bottle bill expansion." 

Proposals to expand the state's bottle bill would add a five-cent fee to bottled water, juices, iced tea, and sports drinks, in addition to the five-cent fee already placed on beer and water.  The legislation would also require grocers to act as redemption centers and collect empty bottles and cans at their stores.  Real Recycling for Massachusetts members are concerned about the impact that overhead costs from redeeming bottles, as well as the new fees on beverages, could have on businesses, consumers and jobs. 

"Our coalition is growing because more and more people are rejecting the bad policy of expanding our outdated and inefficient bottle bill," said Flynn. "An expanded bottle bill would force grocers to tack an extra fee onto their products and lead to pricy overhead costs, all while taking away from more valuable recycling and clean-energy efforts. That's why bottle distributors, supermarkets, and family-owned grocery stores across the state have joined the 500 Real Recycling for Massachusetts members to oppose this costly and counterproductive policy."

Real Recycling for Massachusetts seeks to expand recycling by making it more accessible in public places, such as parks and arenas, and increasing access to recycling in the work place.  

"Real Recycling for Massachusetts seeks to be part of the solution to increasing the state's recycling rate, but we want it to be heard loud and clear that taxing our products and burdening us with new overhead costs for an ineffective policy is not the answer," said Jim Crosby, owner of Crosby Supermarkets and member of Real Recycling for Massachusetts.  "The bottle bill is not only costly, but it would only increase the state's recycling rate by 0.12 percent.  We can do a lot better. We can find real solutions that make a difference without burdening our local economies."

Real Recycling for Massachusetts is a growing coalition of concerned citizens, businesses, and organizations, including the Massachusetts Food Association, Massachusetts Beverage Association, Retailers Association of Massachusetts, Poland Spring Bottling Company, Polar Beverages, Shaw's, Stop and Shop, Kappy's Liquors, Tedeschi Food Shops, Inc., Massachusetts Package Stores Association, the New England Convenience Store Association, National Federation of Independent Business, the International Bottled Water Association, and unions including Local 513 RWDSU/UFCW – representing drivers and plant workers – and Local 1271 IAW/AW – representing beverage container machinists. 

Other members of the coalition include A.L. Bernier's Store, Busa Bros Liquors, Inc., E.L. Harvey & Sons, J. Polep Distribution Services, MCMA Spirits Inc. and the East Boston Malt Company. For a complete list of coalition members and to help prevent this costly and ineffective bottle bill measure, please visit RealRecyclingMass.com.

SOURCE Real Recycling for Massachusetts